Live, die, repeat

[alittlebitfrench]

Is it me or has France become live, die, repeat….in the summer.

Too hot, tourism, bouchons, 14th of fecking July, tour de boring, crapy endless summer news reports on France that we have seen and heard so many millions of times before. Hail storms, flooding, mosquitoes….shut the shutters at midday not to suffocate….need I go on.

July and August have to be the worst months to live or be in France.

Bring on the rentré.

Edited July 16, 2023 by alittlebitfrench

[anotherbanana]

Lovely here, not too hot, little bit of rain, plenty of tourists walking thru’ the village, lots of little fetes, brocantes etc. . Nice. albf, dunno where you are but try somewhere else🤪

[DaveLister]

I totally agree. Have always hated July & August. Too many Bl**dy tourists. Pop up ginguettes that don't last until September. Local festivals of dubious provenance. Long queues to get into the dechetterie  while the campsite owners get rid of their detritus. Supermarkets aisles filled with cooler boxes and camping gas instead of, oh I don't know, food. Roll on September!

[Lehaut]

Its almost the opposite here in Nantes.  The people leave the city to go away for their holidays, the tourist influx does not seem to replace them, so it actually a bit quieter.  We tend to do away June/early July to avoid the rushes and the heat.

According to TF1 1300 programme the other day, they do road works during the summer months in France as there is less traffic on the roads - go figure!

[Ken]

It seems rather odd that having chosen somewhere to  live, and stay, some people then moan about it.  Here in the Pays Basque summer months are. a joy. The village fetes, and every village has one,  are absolutely fantastic. Every aspect is taken into consideration, Force Basque, dancing, cultural events ,evening meals, and not forgetting copious amounts of drink and entertainment from traditional bands as well as modern, all organised by the youth of the villages. If you want crowds then the beaches and big towns are for you, Biarritz, St Jean de Luz and Bayonne are fantastic places to visit but if you want peace and beauty then the countryside and mountains are the place, have both!!!!

The weather plays its part too. Usually warm and dry but with enough rain to keep the countryside looking wonderful with the various shades of green. Plenty of tourists, if you want them, but they usually, en mass, stay near the coast. Plenty come into the villages and some even venture onto the mountains!!!! All well behaved and the only drawback is the increased vehicle traffic but that is simply relative. I doubt anyone in the Pays Basque moans about summer!

[DraytonBoy]

1 hour ago, Ken said:

It seems rather odd that having chosen somewhere to  live, and stay, some people then moan about it.

Is it a moan or stating a fact, summer in tourist hot spots is not always fun for residents? 

[Ken]

Yes, It's a fact that some are moaning. It may not be fun but that doesn't make it any the less a 'moan'!

[DaveLister]

When I moved to France I always knew that my choice of location would mean I would have to suffer the raging hoards of July and August. Makes it all the nicer when they go home.

[DraytonBoy]

5 hours ago, DaveLister said:

When I moved to France I always knew that my choice of location would mean I would have to suffer the raging hoards of July and August. Makes it all the nicer when they go home.

Moaner!😀

[Ken]

19 hours ago, DaveLister said:

When I moved to France I always knew that my choice of location would mean I would have to suffer the raging hoards of July and August. Makes it all the nicer when they go home.

Makes sense! Moving to somewhere that has 'raging hoards'!! Then moaning about it!!

[DraytonBoy]

What do you think of next month's electricity price rise Ken following on from February's 15% increase, totally justified so no one should moan or outrageous profiteering given that France is a net exporter of electricity?

[Ken]

1 hour ago, DraytonBoy said:

What do you think of next month's electricity price rise Ken following on from February's 15% increase, totally justified so no one should moan or outrageous profiteering given that France is a net exporter of electricity?

You obviously see some connection between moaning about where you live and the increase in electricity prices. The two, because of the subject matter, are unrelated. To answer your question: Quite obviously I would prefer to pay nothing for electricity or any services come to that but this is the real world. Shareholders have to make a profit, and why not? It is a business like any other. Shareholders  stand to lose as well as gain. Perhaps you should join the 'profiteers' instead of whinging! 

That issue aside the profligate waste of electricity is incredible. Most families could reduce their bills by being more aware of how much is wasted. Electricity being a case in point. I bet, after you have stopped moaning about the increase in price of electricity you simply walked away from your computer leaving it connected, probably leave the room with the light on whilst you make yourself a cup of tea using an electric kettle that is half full of water when it only needed a cup of water to heat up! I could go on but I think you get my point!

 I have to accept that it's people with those sort of habits that force my bills up!!! Everything has to be paid for, use less. We are so spoilt here in this part of the world that an electricity increase is seen as some sort of catastrophe! It isn't, half the world would love electricity at any price!!! 

 

[anotherbanana]

And EDF is now government owned again which does not mean any attempt will be made to control wages, perks or other costs.

[Ken]

19 minutes ago, anotherbanana said:

And EDF is now government owned again which does not mean any attempt will be made to control wages, perks or other costs.

You are probably right, the Unions are very powerful. I think though to put a little perspective on things it has to be said that electricity in France is generated primarily by nuclear. Unfortunately (for us) the nuclear plants, or at least several of them, are off line needing maintenance. This means electricity has to be generated by gas. So, instead, perhaps, of blaming the French government it is Putin who is responsible given that is where it used to be the majority of gas came from.

Another point is that whilst some are moaning about the price of electricity France supplies just about the cheapest in Europe!!! In other words it is much more expensive elsewhere!!

As for perks!!! I was astounded to find out many years ago that a small percentage of each electricity bill I pay goes towards subsidising holiday camps etc for workers of the industry!

[anotherbanana]

Several of the nuclear power stations were closed because they were found to have substandard welds in vital places. This is a failure of construction and inspection, the fault of the State.

[Ken]

23 minutes ago, anotherbanana said:

Several of the nuclear power stations were closed because they were found to have substandard welds in vital places. This is a failure of construction and inspection, the fault of the State.

The fault of 'The State'! That amorphous being with no one responsible. I prefer to blame individuals; finding them though is one thing, penalising them yet another!!!In the meantime we blame 'The State'! The bottom line is that nuclear power stations are off the run for maintenance and gas is being used to keep us supplied with electricity, hence the increase in price. 

Those moaning about the increase would perhaps prefer that 'The State' does nothing to maintain supplies whilst the power stations are inactive and thus keep the price down? Of course it would mean no power to keep our mobil phones, computers, electric cars, washing machines etc. going but presumably they would be happy with that? I doubt it, blame 'The State' it's easier!!!

 

[anotherbanana]

Ah Ken, Ken what are we to do with you? Firstly, be careful what you say because if your bank does not approve you may find your a/c closed.

Secondly, I regard inspection as the role of the State; in this case it has failed for whatever reason. What is wrong with that?

[Ken]

10 hours ago, anotherbanana said:

Ah Ken, Ken what are we to do with you? Firstly, be careful what you say because if your bank does not approve you may find your a/c closed.

Secondly, I regard inspection as the role of the State; in this case it has failed for whatever reason. What is wrong with that?

Incorrigible I'm afraid!! The banks will, like many institutions and individuals, eventually get their 'comeuppance'! The British government has already promised to redress the situation. A disgusting state of affairs but think about it; are not the average persons thoughts these days too 'liberal'? This leads to encouragement by the Banks and other institutions to act the way they do.

Your second point: Nothing wrong in your belief. Whether it is correct or not is something else! 'The State', who is or what is 'The State'? You blame some invisible, unaccountable ghost like apparatus for failure. A very easy direction to point blame. It's as if the thread of what you suggest is that should 'The State' be replaced by another 'State then all would be hunky dory! 

I much prefer to zero in on individuals. Blame those that deserve the blame. Government officials; and don't get me wrong, I think most are a waste of tax payers money, can't do 'the detail' to oversee things like welding in nuclear reactors it's simply not possible. Accountability is at all levels not just 'The State' The easy option, blame the government but never a suggestion as to how to fix the problem. To refer back to the 'banking situation' The Chairman of the Bank concerned is now under tremendous pressure to resign and the banking system is about to be overhauled. In effect 'people power' has forced this out into the open. I'm no revolutionary by the way. I'm just to the right of Ghengis khan!!